Travel Advice Q & A: What is the best way to call the US from Jamaica?

We asked our facebook fans to help answer a question submitted to us by email: We’ll be in Jamaica in August and we would like to call home. We are staying at Beaches, Ocho Rios. If we want to call home do they sell calling cards on property? Is there somewhere local to get them? Is it expensive to call the US from Jamaica?

RESPONSES:

No your celluar company can add international to your service I know because I call Jamaica often – L. Peterson

They should just use Skype or get a cheap digicel phone and a sim card and get the instructions on how to set up international calling with them, its only a 1000 Jamaican a month, I use this all the time. :) – L. Comeau

Rent a cell phone and then pay 1200JA for 1000 minutes international calling – K. Pruitt

The digicel phone option is only if they plan on going to Jamaica often, otherwise, skype is their solution 🙂 its not free, but cheap…. – L. Comeau

International calling plan is a $1000 dollars even. – L. Comeau

‎1. Yes it is actually cheaper 2. call home than making local calls…..$12.05 gives u a 1000 international minutes – D. Van

An by de way u can always top up in de US b4 leaving 2 JA – D. Van

I buy international calling cards before leaving for JA..normal cell to cell rates without an international plan are about $1.70 US a minute so best to use calling cards and avoid the high costs! – J. Smothers

See if your phone can be un=locked before you leave home and get a Digicel chip, that’s what i do… Work’s every time… – E. QuiQui

yes you can top up with the Digicel Top up online, just create an account and use a credit card, then, your 1000 will cost you roughly 1200, a 1000 for the phone and a little extra for using the service. – L. Comeau